2017 Basketball Recruiting Thread

[amat1129]

C'mon already guys. These kids are milking this recruiting stuff for all its worth. Were almost into May. Its beyond time to make a decision. I find it difficult to believe that they haven't decided yet. Its likely a narcissistic desire to stay in the spotlight and be fawned over that is guiding them.

It is annoying to have at least three recruits who have yet to make a decision this late in April. Some other posters really enjoy getting high and mighty about how delicate these decisions are and how much joy and happiness we are supposed to feel once they do decide, even if they don't choose Duke. The reality is everyone is on this board because they are Duke basketball fan and everyone wants all three undecided recruits to pick Duke. With the so much of next years roster still uncertain its natural to feel like this process is overly drawn out.

[FadedTackyShirt]

C'mon already guys. These kids are milking this recruiting stuff for all its worth. Were almost into May. Its beyond time to make a decision. I find it difficult to believe that they haven't decided yet. Its likely a narcissistic desire to stay in the spotlight and be fawned over that is guiding them.

Obi just pulled an academic duck, duck, goose in choosing Maryland for grad school after Rice and Duke. Like it or not, college basketball is more about the latter than the former for many (most?) players.

The front page article on Duval is illuminating. Professional basketball at the highest level is his chosen career path and he and his family have consistently made calculated decisions about high school and college selections to achieve that. Different cultural and academic fits with Duke for Duval, Knox, and Bamba, but basketball career aspirations are their primary decision drivers.

Props to Obi, Sirk, and Cornette for graduating from Duke, but they didn't chose grad school at Maryland, ECU, or Fresno State for superior academic offerings.

Both the preps and fifth year grad students are doing their due diligence on depth charts rather than course offerings.

[bob blue devil]

It is annoying to have at least three recruits who have yet to make a decision this late in April. Some other posters really enjoy getting high and mighty about how delicate these decisions are and how much joy and happiness we are supposed to feel once they do decide, even if they don't choose Duke. The reality is everyone is on this board because they are Duke basketball fan and everyone wants all three undecided recruits to pick Duke. With the so much of next years roster still uncertain its natural to feel like this process is overly drawn out.

are we talking about how we feel or are we calling recruits narcissists for not keeping us message board posters happy? i am confused.

bowing out of this convo now - enjoy!

[Troublemaker]

It is annoying to have at least three recruits who have yet to make a decision this late in April. Some other posters really enjoy getting high and mighty about how delicate these decisions are and how much joy and happiness we are supposed to feel once they do decide, even if they don't choose Duke. The reality is everyone is on this board because they are Duke basketball fan and everyone wants all three undecided recruits to pick Duke. With the so much of next years roster still uncertain its natural to feel like this process is overly drawn out.

Even if I were inclined to rail on these late deciders, I'd have to admit that they have legitimate reasons to wait, which bob_blue_devil lays out below. I mean, the deadline to declare for the NBA draft hasn't even passed yet.

i don't find it difficult at all. material stuff that could affect their decisions is still coming out. e.g. players staying/leaving, coaches making and adjusting their pitches, significant others being added and dumped, and professors publishing research that may influence perception of academic fit (). and even if all the info is on the table, it's a big decision for these kids - let them take as much time as can be afforded; i admire it when people think through their decisions. some may milk it, but who are the real victims, the well paid coaches?

[UNCfan]

Even if I were inclined to rail on these late deciders, I'd have to admit that they have legitimate reasons to wait, which bob_blue_devil lays out below. I mean, the deadline to declare for the NBA draft hasn't even passed yet.

I think the thing that bothers me is there doesn't appear to be a real love for the University. UNC has a few kids on the squad now and a few that are incoming that are from NC and have a real love for UNC basketball. That means more to me as a fan than a kid that is playing his hand till the river card. This decision is a business decision and I completely understand it, but that does not make me like it. If Knox picks either Duke or UNC, I am sure he will love his experience for the year or two he is enrolled and the fans will love him back. But, there is something special about a kid going to his dream school.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Obi just pulled an academic duck, duck, goose in choosing Maryland for grad school after Rice and Duke. Like it or not, college basketball is more about the latter than the former for many (most?) players.

The front page article on Duval is illuminating. Professional basketball at the highest level is his chosen career path and he and his family have consistently made calculated decisions about high school and college selections to achieve that. Different cultural and academic fits with Duke for Duval, Knox, and Bamba, but basketball career aspirations are their primary decision drivers.

Props to Obi, Sirk, and Cornette for graduating from Duke, but they didn't chose grad school at Maryland, ECU, or Fresno State for superior academic offerings.

Both the preps and fifth year grad students are doing their due diligence on depth charts rather than course offerings.

I will say it one more time... grad transfers rarely, if ever, have squat to do with academics - at least in relation to revenue sports.

[Saratoga2]

Even if I were inclined to rail on these late deciders, I'd have to admit that they have legitimate reasons to wait, which bob_blue_devil lays out below. I mean, the deadline to declare for the NBA draft hasn't even passed yet.

In the case of Duke, all the people have declared, transferred or said they are returning, so there is no need to wait on a decision in that regard. Alternate schools may still have guys that could declare or decide to return so that may hold up and decision on the recruits parts.

[jimsumner]

Obi just pulled an academic duck, duck, goose in choosing Maryland for grad school after Rice and Duke. Like it or not, college basketball is more about the latter than the former for many (most?) players.

The front page article on Duval is illuminating. Professional basketball at the highest level is his chosen career path and he and his family have consistently made calculated decisions about high school and college selections to achieve that. Different cultural and academic fits with Duke for Duval, Knox, and Bamba, but basketball career aspirations are their primary decision drivers.

Props to Obi, Sirk, and Cornette for graduating from Duke, but they didn't chose grad school at Maryland, ECU, or Fresno State for superior academic offerings.

Both the preps and fifth year grad students are doing their due diligence on depth charts rather than course offerings.

This is very unfair to Brandon Connette. He picked Fresno State because his mother was dying of cancer, back in California, and he wanted to be closer to her.

[CDu]

This is very unfair to Brandon Connette. He picked Fresno State because his mother was dying of cancer, back in California, and he wanted to be closer to her.

Well, it's also true that Connette didn't choose Fresno State for academic reasons, so the previous poster's point still stands. And to be fair to that poster, though it was not articulated very politely, it should be noted that Connette chose a school that was still over 4 hours from home. So while his extraordinarily unfortunate family circumstances were clearly the driving factor, he still apparently chose a school for football opportunities not related academic reasons. There are better schools closer to his Corona home that also play D-1 football (at varying levels).

[FadedTackyShirt]

This is very unfair to Brandon Connette. He picked Fresno State because his mother was dying of cancer, back in California, and he wanted to be closer to her.

Thanks for the clarification, I was unaware of his family background. Thanks also to CDu for cleaning up/clarifying my post.

[fan345678]

If Knox picks either Duke or UNC, I am sure he will love his experience for the year or two he is enrolled and the fans will love him back. But, there is something special about a kid going to his dream school.

We all know that if Knox goes to UNC, he'll be there at least three years.

[freshmanjs]

We all know that if Knox goes to UNC, he'll be there at least three years.

Pet peeve and I don't mean to pick on you at all. As a group, we talk out of both sides of our mouth on this. We make fun of Roy for having good players come back, but we celebrate when Grayson and Frank and Bolden come back.

[Olympic Fan]

Pet peeve and I don't mean to pick on you at all. As a group, we talk out of both sides of our mouth on this. We make fun of Roy for having good players come back, but we celebrate when Grayson and Frank and Bolden come back.

Fair point, but not quite right. There is a difference between what's been happening the last decade at UNC and what has happened at Duke.

Relative to their prep rankings, UNC's five star prospects stay in school significantly longer than any other D1 school.

I've posted this info before, but it's not even close -- top 5 and top 10 and to 25 players stay at UNC much longer than any other school.

Just this past season, UNC had the highest ranked (as a prep prospect) senior still playing (Isaiah Hicks) and the TWO highest ranked juniors still in school (Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson).

Jackson (who was ranked almost exactly where Knox is this year) is the only top 10 player in the strong 2014 class that didn't go pro after his freshman year ... and he stayed THREE years.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Fair point, but not quite right. There is a difference between what's been happening the last decade at UNC and what has happened at Duke.

Relative to their prep rankings, UNC's five star prospects stay in school significantly longer than any other D1 school.

I've posted this info before, but it's not even close -- top 5 and top 10 and to 25 players stay at UNC much longer than any other school.

Just this past season, UNC had the highest ranked (as a prep prospect) senior still playing (Isaiah Hicks) and the TWO highest ranked juniors still in school (Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson).

Jackson (who was ranked almost exactly where Knox is this year) is the only top 10 player in the strong 2014 class that didn't go pro after his freshman year ... and he stayed THREE years.

Why is this a bad thing? Duke also has had plenty of top 10 players stay for 3+ years (Singler comes to mind as the most obvious).

[freshmanjs]

Fair point, but not quite right. There is a difference between what's been happening the last decade at UNC and what has happened at Duke.

Relative to their prep rankings, UNC's five star prospects stay in school significantly longer than any other D1 school.

I've posted this info before, but it's not even close -- top 5 and top 10 and to 25 players stay at UNC much longer than any other school.

Just this past season, UNC had the highest ranked (as a prep prospect) senior still playing (Isaiah Hicks) and the TWO highest ranked juniors still in school (Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson).

Jackson (who was ranked almost exactly where Knox is this year) is the only top 10 player in the strong 2014 class that didn't go pro after his freshman year ... and he stayed THREE years.

If that were happening at Duke instead of UNC, this board would be celebrating it as a marker of K's awesomeness.

[flyingdutchdevil]

If that were happening at Duke instead of UNC, this board would be celebrating it as a marker of K's awesomeness.

100% accurate. And we'd be laughing at the school down the road because we just won a natty!

[fgb]

Why is this a bad thing? Duke also has had plenty of top 10 players stay for 3+ years (Singler comes to mind as the most obvious).

i think the point is that at unc it happens on a regular basis.

[elvis14]

If that were happening at Duke instead of UNC, this board would be celebrating it as a marker of K's awesomeness.

So lets not forget history here. There was a time that players stayed longer at Duke than at UNCheat and other schools. UNCheat fans regularly railed against our coach and program stating that he was selfish, was holding players back, only cared about winning and didn't care about these kids because they were staying in school at Duke. Now that it's UNCheat that is keeping players longer, UNCheat fans regularly say that their coach/team cares more about their players, are developing them more, care more about the kids than we do, etc. At the same time UNCheat fans claim that our coach and program are selfish and only care about winning because we are sending players to the NBA early and that we don't care about these kids because they aren't staying etc. So before you ask us to celebrate UNCheat for keeping players longer than any other schools, let's remember what they had to say about us when the shoe was on the other foot. We don't need to give them props for anything! Wanker them all. They cheated for 20 plus years and should be in the middle of 5 year post season ban.

[freshmanjs]

So lets not forget history here. There was a time that players stayed longer at Duke than at UNCheat and other schools. UNCheat fans regularly railed against our coach and program stating that he was selfish, was holding players back, only cared about winning and didn't care about these kids because they were staying in school at Duke. Now that it's UNCheat that is keeping players longer, UNCheat fans regularly say that their coach/team cares more about their players, are developing them more, care more about the kids than we do, etc. At the same time UNCheat fans claim that our coach and program are selfish and only care about winning because we are sending players to the NBA early and that we don't care about these kids because they aren't staying etc. So before you ask us to celebrate UNCheat for keeping players longer than any other schools, let's remember what they had to say about us when the shoe was on the other foot. We don't need to give them props for anything! Wanker them all. They cheated for 20 plus years and should be in the middle of 5 year post season ban.

So if their fans are hypocritical and silly, we should be too?

[UNCfan]

I agree that the hypocrisy is the issue. I see it on both sides and I will call it out on both sides.